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As he grabbed his stick shift (pun intended), a slight piece of his shiny hair fell over his forehead and I nearly died.
He wasn’t wearing a jacket, just a purple fitted dress shirt that showed off his muscular chest. He was even rocking suspenders, that wouldn’t have been sexy on any other man. He could pull those off really well, though. I had the urge to pull them and snap them back against his chest.
I turned around and saw that his suit jacket was thrown in the backseat, along with a bottle of wine on the floor. I wondered who would be drinking that with him.
Nervous chills ran through me as his big beautiful slightly scuffed hand grabbed the stick shift and moved it in a jerking motion. My body was fluctuating from cold to hot, reacting to these feelings of lust. I could feel my armpits welling with sweat again and a tingle in my nether regions. I realized at this moment, how little control I actually had over my own body.
Cedric broke the silence. “So, you remembered me, huh?” he said suggestively in a low smooth voice as he turned to look at me with a sexy side glance, before returning his eyes to the road.
“Well, you were kind of hard to forget. I…mean…you left quite a big tip.” I was sure to add that last part. I didn’t want to give away too easily the real reasons I thought he was unforgettable, which had nothing to do with the money.
Cedric seemed to hesitate, shaking his head and said, “Yeah…I guess I did, didn’t I? I was in a bit of a rush, so I left you what I had in my wallet.”
“Well, thank you. It truly brightened my day and was very generous. I had wanted to thank you, but you left so fast. I thought maybe it was a mistake. I have never received such a big tip in my life. I actually split it with Delores since it was technically her table to begin with. Delores is really cool. She’s a hoot. She makes working at the diner fun.” I shut up immediately. Oh God, I was rambling like a bumbling idiot and making no sense.
“Well, I am really glad I could brighten your day,” Cedric said as he glanced at me and smiled.
“Thanks again.” I turned to look out the window when a sudden bout of bashfulness took over.
In my periphery, I could see his head turn in my direction and I looked back at him.
“So, Allison, tell me, how long have you worked at the diner?” Cedric asked as he sped onto I-93, returning his eyes quickly to me once he entered the highway. I loved watching him drive.
“Just a few months. I am just biding my time there. I was in a special education program at Simmons, but I am putting that on hold for a while. But working with kids with disabilities is really my passion.”
“Simmons is a great school. Special education? That’s an honorable field. What made you decide to go in that direction?”
He switched gears and continued to alternate between looking at me and the road.
“Well, I really love kids and one summer when I was a camp counselor for the YMCA, I bonded with a little girl with Down syndrome. Her parents had actually given her up for adoption at birth, so she lived temporarily with foster parents. I am also adopted, so that made me even more attached to her. I was crushed when she was transferred to another family out of town. We still write to each other to this day. Ever since that summer, I wanted to work in some capacity with special needs kids. Even though I can’t afford Simmons right now, I am hoping to find a way to get into the field while I wait to get back to grad school.”
Cedric nodded slowly as if he was thinking of what to say next. “I think that’s amazing. I give you a lot credit for that.”
“Thanks,” I said.
He paused and licked his lips, his expression turning serious. “Actually, I don’t tell too many people this off the bat, but my younger sister, Callie…well, she has autism. She is twenty-four now, but she is a lot like a little girl in many ways. Back when she was diagnosed as a child, there were not a lot of autistic people. Nowadays, it’s something like one in every fifty kids is on the spectrum. Incredible. So, there really is a need for people who can work with them.” The emotions that talking about his sister conjured up were written all over Cedric’s face. After a pause, he said, “My sister…she’s…she’s special.”
I was caught off guard at how impassioned he became when talking about his sister.
“Wow. Is your sister verbal?” I asked as I thought to myself and smiled when I realized her name would be Callie Callahan.
“Yes, somewhat. She can ask for simple things. She can read, but she doesn’t have the ability to converse like you and I. She is totally dependent on my mother and has someone coming to the house a few hours everyday to work with her on daily living and to help Mom out in caring for her. They actually go with her to a job where she helps sort books at the local library, which is pretty cool.”
You could tell he was very proud of his sister, but also a little sad about it. The tender look on his face, made me want to grab his hand.
“She sounds amazing. I am sure having her in your life gives you a different perspective on things.”
“Yeah. It sure does. We neurotypical people take so many things for granted.” He smiled.
“I would love to work with autistic kids, myself,” I said.
Cedric scratched his chin. “Hmm. There’s an agency that provides the services Callie receives. I know they work with children, as well as adults. Maybe I can ask my mother for a human resources contact there and email it to you. My mother complains a lot that the turnover rate of people working with Callie is high, so maybe they are looking to hire. We can exchange emails.”
Yes.
“That would be fantastic, Cedric…really, that would mean a lot.” I was truly amazed that he cared enough to offer to look into this for me. We’ve known each other less than an hour.
“My pleasure. I wish I could say I had a meaningful career like that. My profession…well, it’s about as shallow as they come.” He shook his head and glanced at me.
